A Bayesian technique for improving the sensitivity of the atmospheric neutrino L/E analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a Bayesian method to estimate the event-by-event resolution of the neutrino L/E ratio, enhancing the sensitivity of atmospheric neutrino oscillation measurements by incorporating resolution information into the analysis.

Contribution

It presents a novel Bayesian technique for estimating L/E resolution per event, improving the precision of atmospheric neutrino oscillation studies.

Findings

Significant improvement in oscillation sensitivity using the method.

Event-by-event resolution estimation enhances measurement accuracy.

Method applicable to contained-vertex atmospheric neutrino interactions.

Abstract

This paper outlines a method for improving the precision of atmospheric neutrino oscillation measurements. One experimental signature for these oscillations is an observed deficit in the rate of $\nu_{\mu}$ charged-current interactions with an oscillatory dependence on $L_{\nu}/E_{\nu}$, where $L_{\nu}$ is the neutrino propagation distance, and $E_{\nu}$ is the neutrino energy. For contained-vertex atmospheric neutrino interactions, the $L_{\nu}/E_{\nu}$ resolution varies significantly from event to event. The precision of the oscillation measurement can be improved by incorporating information on $L_{\nu}/E_{\nu}$ resolution into the oscillation analysis. In the analysis presented here, a Bayesian technique is used to estimate the $L_{\nu}/E_{\nu}$ resolution of observed atmospheric neutrinos on an event-by-event basis. By separating the events into bins of $L_{\nu}/E_{\nu}$ resolution in the oscillation analysis, a significant improvement in oscillation sensitivity can be achieved.